Air control device



Nov. 23, 1948. RQSSMAN 2,454,480

AIR CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 21, 1946 F FIG. 2.

L3 Q C H E/" M 14 I I '2 mmvrax. DAVID ROSSMAN ATTORNEY Patented Nov.23, 1948 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE AIR CONTROL DEVICE David Rossman,Long Beach, Calif.

Application May 21, 1946, Serial No. 671,224

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a device for use in automatically controllingthe addition of air to the fuel mixture entering an internal combustionengine.

One object of my invention is to provide a simple automatic device foradmitting additional air to the fuel mixture in an internal combustionengine when required. Another object is to provide an automaticallyacting valve device which will operateto shut off extra air supply whenthe engine is being started but permits'entry of extra air at times,depending upon the vacuum produced by engine. Another object is toprovide an auxiliary air mixing device which gives more eflioient engineoperation. These and other objects are attained by my invention whichwill be more fully described below, reference being made to theaccompanyin drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing the manner of attachment of myair control device to the intake manifold of an internal combustionengine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the device;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View thereof taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a top elevational view;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of my air control device I lconsists of a hollow cylindrical casing [2 closed at one end and havinga hole IS in the side near the closed end of the casing which is adaptedfor threaded engagement with the connecting tube I4. The hollow portionof the casing I 2 is cylindrical and is provided with internal threadsl5 extending for about half the depth of the cavity. An inside partitionplate i6 is provided with outside threads on its edge adapted to fit thethreads I 5 of the cavity, this partition plate being disposed aboutmidway in the cavity. The partition member I6 is provided with a seriesof holes I! through the plate, these holes being arranged to allow theflow of air through the plate into the cavity below the plate, anddisposed in the surface of the plate so that they are completely sealedoff when the actuator plate is in direct contact with the top surface ofthe partition plate 16. An upwardly extending pin I8 is threaded into ahole in the central portion of the partition member 56, and a groove I9is provided in thetop surface of the partition around the pin l8, ofsufficient size and depth to completely enclose the coil compressionspring 2| around the pin I8 when the contiguous surfaces are broughttogether. The actuator plate 20 is provided with a hole through itscenter for sliding freely on the pin l8, the actuator plate beingsmaller in diameter than the cavity in the casing 12 so that air maypass around the outside edges between the actuator plate 20 and thethreaded walls of the cavity in the casing U2; The actuator plate 20 isproportioned so that it has a thickness of about one-eighth to onefourththe diameter of the cavity in the casing l2 in order to provide asomewhat elongated annular passage way for air between the outside edgeof the actuator plate 20 and the inside wall of the cavity of thecasing. The variable force on the actuator plate created by thediiferent rates of flow of air around said plate between the edgesurface thereof and the inside wall of the casing I2, in addition to thedifference in actual static pressures, is believed to be involved in theautomatic valving produced in the position of the actuator platerelative to the orifices in the orifice plate. A closure disc 22 isprovided with outside threads adapting it to be screwed into the threadsIS in the cavity walls of the casing, and this disc is also providedwith a series of small holes 23 arranged to admit air from the outside.A coil compression spring 24 is placed on the pin l8 between the closuredisc 22 and the moveable actuator plate 20 to prevent the latter fromclosing the orifices in said closure disc.

The actuator plate 20 is thus arranged between two light carefullyadjusted compression springs 2| and 24, to allow the plate to movefreely longitudinall on the pin 18 in the space between the innersurface of the closure disc 22 and the outer surface of the partitionIS. The crosssectional area of the holes 23 of the closure plate, thearea of the annular opening between the edge of the actuator plate andthe walls of the cavity of the casing I 2, and the area of the .holes llin the partition member l6 are selected to be approximately equal. Theholes through the partition i6 and the plate 22 are distributed so thatthe flow of air therethrough will be substantially uniform over thecross-sectional area of the cavity of the hollow casing.

As indicated in Fig. 1, my air control device is for use on an internalcombustion engine E, by connecting it through the connecting tube Hi tothe intake manifold M of the engine between the engine and the usualcarburetor C in which the primary mixing of the fuel and air isperformed. The end of the casing l2 which is closed by the closure plate22 is open to atmosphere and is directed upwardly. When the vacuumand/or the frictional air force are sufficiently high, the actuatorplate closes the orifices, and at intermediate conditions the actuatorplate takes intermediate valving positions to control the amount ofauxiliary air admitted to the engine.

The admission of auxiliary air to the combustion chambers, dependingupon the magnitude of the vacuum created by the engine and to thefrictional force of the air moving around the actuator, gives betterperformance by the engine, smoother operation at all speeds, and greaterfuel economy. My automatic device does not interfere with the operationof starting the engine nor with its operation While idling.

I claim:

An air control device comprising, a body having a cylindrical cavityclosed at one end and having an outlet near said closed end adapted tobe connected to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine; apartition member having orifices 'therethrough disposed within saidcavit and having an axial pin extending toward the open end of saidcavity, said orifices being arranged to be closed by a moveable actuatorplate; an actuator plate having an axial hole and adapted to slide onsaid pin, said plate being smaller in diameter than said cavity toprovide an annular passageway for air around its edges, said. platehaving substantial thickness in the range from about one-fourth toone-eighth of the diameter of said cavity; spring means adapted to holdsaid actuator plate at times out of contact with said partition member;closure means in the open end of said body cavity having orificestherethrough distributed over its area; and spring means adapted to holdsaid actuator plate out of contact with said closure means; the airconduits through said closure means, through said partition member, andin the annular space around said actuator plate being of approximatelyequal cross-sectional areas.

DAVID ROSSMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

